Toronto Metropolitan University launches first of its kind master's degree
For the first time ever, a Canadian university is offering a graduate program that combines occupational health and safety with public health and safety. Toronto Metropolitan University launched the Master of Science in Occupational and Public Health program this fall, and it encourages students to challenge the status-quo in both fields, while examining the overlap between the two disciplines.
Public health and occupational health and safety have traditionally been siloed, “and that's why this is so unique is that we combine both elements together,” says Chun-Yip Hon, graduate program director and associate professor of occupational and public health at TMU.
The course was in development before the pandemic, but Hon says COVID-19 really showed the safety world that public and occupational are two sides of the same coin.
“For instance, if someone is positive for COVID, maybe gets it from the community or gets it from their children or gets it from some other family gathering…now they can spread it to their workplace. This is where that overlap between public and occupational health is blurred.”
Another aspect that makes the TMU program one-of-a-kind is the applied experiences offered are combined with a research and thesis component. “Students will be doing research that is beneficial to the community at large,” says Hon, “and hopefully the findings from their research project will be able to help some of the problems that people are experiencing.”
Hon explains the students’ goal is to come up with a research question examining current best practices and ask “how do we know if it’s effective?” He says many policies, procedures, standards, and guidelines used in the safety industry are consensus-based and not evidence-based, “meaning that they're not necessarily looking at what the science dictates.”
Students will be challenged to put these best practices under a microscope and use critical thinking skills “to make sure they are indeed effective in hopes of improving worker health and safety.”
The program is in its infancy, with not even an entire semester completed yet, but some students are saying they find it valuable.
“Creating our research question is unique from other master's programs and aids in developing a variety of skill sets as well as exploring different research interests,” says current student Anushiya K. “The knowledge and research-based foundation from this program will aid in addressing occupational and public health concerns as future professionals and scholars.”
Another graduate student, Kajena R, appreciates the small class sizes saying they, “really allow me to connect with one another and travel together as a community. I have really grown since I started the program here.”
Enrollment is open for Fall 2023 admissions.
